icebreaker | nolan patrick

35

Fiona
Center City, Philadelphia

"Hello?" I said into my phone, it was Nolan.

"We're going out tonight. Dress nice, I'll get you at 7."

"You aren't gonna ask me if I'm free?" I asked with laugh.

"Oh, sorry. Are you free tonight?" He responded, surprisingly seriously, not picking up on the fact that was a joke.

"Yes I am. Can I ask where we are going?"

"I think you know the answer to that," Nolan said.

"I'll take that as a no. So, when you say dress nice, what are we talking? Like cocktail dress? Or met gala?"

"You know what, I'm gonna let you decide on that one, purely because I have no idea what the difference between those things are," He replied, "I'll be in tux, if that helps."

"That does help. I will be at in the lobby of my building at 7."

We said our goodbyes and I immediately called Ashley to ask for her help. We scheduled a shopping trip and lunch date for noon.

——

"Hey, girl," Ashely greeted as I got into her car.

I still haven't adjusted to the fact that she's married. Like, she has a husband, a mortgage, and her own insurance plan. I'm a little ashamed to say that I'm still on my parents health insurance plan, but I honestly just can't be damned to go through the process of switching.

We decided to head to a cute little dress boutique on Broad. We used to get our dresses there when our sorority had formals and dances. It was adorable in there and the shop owner had become quite familiar with the two of us.

"Does this say, "wife of NHL player," to you? Or is it too flashy?" Ashley asked, holding up a golden dress.

"It wouldn't say flashy, just a little young. I definitely saw a chick at one of our formals wearing that."

I tried on a few dresses, but I finally found the perfect one after at least an hour of searching. It was a red, skin tight, satin dress. The length was nearly touching my knees but it had a slit going up my left thigh. It had a V-neckline and spaghetti straps. I decided to also put it with a pair of black pumps.

After buying my dress—I might have also gotten some sundresses for future beach trips—Ashley and I went to get some lunch.

We stopped into a cute little bakery down the street from the boutique.

"Is there a special occasion for this date tonight?" Ashley asked while sipping on her coffee.

"I don't think so. We went out last month for our one year, I can't think of anything else it might be. Maybe an end-of-the-season celebration? He said something about heading home for awhile since it's the off-season."

"I feel like Nolan has always been a guy for spontaneity. I feel like I never know what that kid is gonna do, or say."

"Yeah, he's like that sometimes," I replied, smiling while thinking about how excited I was for what he had in store for tonight.

After catching up and talking about a possible double date next week, Ash drove me back to my house so I could have time to shower before the date.

3rd Person

As Fiona go into the shower, giving herself at least two hours to get ready afterwards, Nolan was already perched on a pier, looking onto the Delaware River.